1. Keep
Your Personal Information Safe and Secure
Unfortunately,
the internet isn’t always a safe place, which means everyone needs to make sure
they’re keeping their personal information safe. Make sure you use strong
passwords, remove personal information from photos and other files, and never
use open public Wi-Fi networks without protection. Keeping your personal
information safe is easier than it sounds, and if you aren’t sure what to do,
check out our checklist for staying safe online. You’d be surprised how unsafe
you were being before.
2. Easily Find Your Lost or Stolen Gadgets
You
never know when you might misplace your phone, laptop, or other tech, so set up
some safeguards now. iPhone users can enable Find My iPhone, and Android users
should enable the Android Device Manager, which allows you to track your phone
if you lose it. Of course, you can always get a more feature-rich app like
Prey, which can track nearly any laptop or smartphone that’s gone missing, and
even get a photo of who might be using it. If you’re missing a camera, the
CameraTrace service can help you find it, too. Of course, the best solution is
making sure it doesn’t get stolen in the first place, and making sure all your
personal data is locked down. Which brings us to our last tip...
3. Keep Your Computer in Tip-Top Shape with
Regular Maintenance
Computer maintenance has gotten really confusing over the
years. Between defragging, cleaning up temporary files, and other tasks, it’s
almost like trying to maintain a car. Luckily, it’s gotten a lot easier in
recent years: you only really need to do one or two things to keep your
computer running fast and smooth. Check out our guides to Windows maintenance
and Mac maintenance for more info and keep your PC running like new. And if
your phone’s feeling a little sluggish, we have guides for iOS and Android,
too.
4. Keep Your PC Free of Crap
Ever
wonder how that Yahoo toolbar got on your system, or why there’s so much junk
installed on your brand new machine? Crapware is a huge problem in the world of
Windows, but that doesn’t mean you have to take it lying down. With the right
tools and a little know-how, you can avoid that crapware forevermore: just
uninstall the stuff that came with your system, and learn the ways companies
trick you into installing stuff you don’t want. You’ll keep that system nice
and clean, and beat the scammers at their own game.
5. Protect Yourself From Viruses
Windows
users have long known the pain of viruses and other malware, but the good news
is it’s pretty easy to avoid. First, we recommend learning the difference
between viruses, trojans, and other kinds of attacks, as well as the myths
surrounding them. Then, install some good, free antivirus software to protect
yourself (Avast is our current favorite, but Bitdefender is a slightly less
nerdy, equally secure option). You can even get antivirus for your Android
phone, if you so choose. But in the end, the best way to avoid viruses is to
use common sense: don’t open links that look suspicious, don’t install programs
from untrusted sources, and if a window pops up saying your computer’s
infected, make sure it’s actually your antivirus software saying that and not a
fake web page.
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